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He always knew that one day it would come out. Woz wasn't that optimistic to think he could keep hiding this forever. He wished he could have, though. Because now... he had to deal with the reactions to what he had kept a secret and Woz had learned to expect the worst.
"What do you mean you can't hear?!"
Woz had kept it a secret from everyone for as long as he could. He had managed to adapt and act as though he could still hear. All of those he interacted with from the past had not the slightest clue he never heard a word they said. No one was any the wiser to just what was going on with him.
Now, did that mean no one knew something was up with him? No. Woz knew most people were aware he had something going on. The way he responded to things asked to him was not normal. He knew that. But, most people just assumed it was how he liked to act. Woz did try to always make it as natural as possible to explain away any delayed or unusual reactions he had to things.
And yet, now it was all crashing down. He had been caught. And there really was no way to lie about it.
Sougo, Geiz, and himself had been fighting some Another Rider once more. Woz hadn't heard a call of alarm and got hit. The force of the blow had disoriented him enough he couldn't focus on anything to lipread as he had grown used to. So, he had to yell that he couldn't hear what they were saying. Make them stop yelling words at him that he couldn't understand.
It had been a few hours now. Woz vaguely recalled passing out from the pain and then he woke up back at the house. He was in his room. He had gone down to see if the others were there and now he was sat at the table and being interrogated.
"I... am sorry for keeping this from you, my demon king..." Woz responded to Sougo's outrage.
Was outrage the right word though? Sougo didn't seem mad. He moreso seemed genuinely worried about Woz. Woz wasn't entirely sure what Sougo was thinking of everything. He wished he did know.
"When did you lose your hearing? You could hear when we were in the Resitance together, right?" Geiz questioned him. There was confusion on his face.
"After I... went to Oma Zi-O... I was tortured at first and... one of those times it cost me my hearing." Woz explained. He would rather not talk about his past, but knew he had no choice. He couldn't lie his way out of this.
"And you've just been pretending that nothing is wrong?" Sougo said, "You idiot! You're lucky it took until now for something bad to happen because of it!"
Woz was confused by the scolding. Why was he being scolded for not telling them? Shouldn't they be scolding him for telling them? That was how he had always been treated before so... why were they not doing the same?
"Woz? Why did you hide it from us anyway?" Tsukuyomi questioned him now.
Woz didn't know how to begin to answer that question. How did he put into words the fear he had of being tossed aside as useless because of being disabled like this? How did he tell them the abuse he suffered by Oma Zi-O's hands until he conformed back to acting like a hearing person?
"I was afraid you would look down on me..." Woz directed those words mostly to Sougo.
"Eh? Why would I do that? You shouldn't have to suffer for my sake." Sougo replied. "I don't understand."
Woz didn't understand either. Sougo didn't care? Didn’t mind if he couldn't hear him? But... but Oma Zi-O...
"I... do not wish to talk about this anymore tonight. Please, leave me alone." Woz stood up and left the house.
He needed time to process these thoughts. The reactions he had gotten from all three of them were not ones he had expected. He had convinced himself everyone would toss him in the trash if they found out. That he was useless to them if he couldn't hear. And yet... they all seemed concerned that he didn't tell them.
There was a tap on his shoulder. Woz turned around. Sougo had followed him.
"I told you I do not wish to talk more. Please just leave me be." Woz stated.
"I can't just leave it as is." Sougo replied. "I can see in your eyes the pain of whatever happened. Please. I want to fix this. You shouldn't need to be afraid to tell us something so vital about yourself."
Woz stared at him for long while. Sougo really was so much different than the demon king he had grown used to. This boy was so nice. Always worried about those around him. How was the future going to turn into the one they knew...?
"Oma Zi-O made me pretend it wasn't a thing." Woz finally said, "I just... assumed you would feel the same way. That it is an inconvenience to you for me to ask for any sort of accommodation."
"Am I... responsible for what happened to you?" Sougo asked.
"Oma Zi-O... ordered it, but he did not touch me with his own two hands. At least, not for that session."
"Then I'm going to fix the future me's mistake." Sougo stated. "What can I do to make you more comfortable?"
Woz turned away. "I have no ideas. Just, continue as we are. I am fine this way. I have learned to adapt. You do not need to worry yourself over such a little thing, my demon king."
...
For a week, Sougo didn't bring up anything again. Everyone went back to normal. Woz couldn't help but notice the looks everyone gave him at times though. Looks of sympathy.
There were a few things that had changed since his secret had come out into the open. Everyone had begun to make sure they were facing him if they wanted to talk to him. No more did he have to desperately try to read someone's lips from only half of their face.
Everyone was also a lot more patient with him. Any time he looked lost on what had been said, they repeated it without any complaint. No one ever was bothered by him not understanding them properly the first time. It was something Woz was very unfamiliar with.
In battle, there was a lot more silent communication between them than vocal. It did make things a bit easier to follow along with.
And then, Sougo sat down with him one night. He had something to show him. That was what he had said.
"I found something that might help you. Help us all communicate easier with you." Sougo said.
"You have? You did not need to, my demon king." Woz responded. He was very interested, but tried to hide it. He still subconsciously was afraid to show any weakness to those around him.
"It's called sign language. You talk with your hands. Look. Here's a little example video." Sougo showed him.
Woz watched. This was not something he had ever considered as a possibility. He could... talk with his hands?
"That is... most intriguing." Woz said.
"Do you want to try and learn it?" Sougo asked.
Woz hesitated, and then nodded. Sougo showed him this because he wanted him to learn it. He shouldn't say no to his demon king, after all.
Sougo smiled at his response. "Then I'll tell Geiz and Tsukuyomi and we can all learn it together!"
...
A few months had passed since that day. Woz truly hadn't ever thought this could be an outcome for him. But, he was very happy. He finally was included in a way that was easy for him.
True to his words, Sougo had made them all learn sign language together. It was a challenging task at first, but soon they started to get the hang of it. It wasn't long into beginning that task that they were already starting to talk to each other that way.
Woz was grateful beyond belief. For once, he was able to easily follow along. No more did he have to worry about having to read lips and guess half of what was being said.
It became commonplace for them to communicate that way. Even when they met people who they talked to, someone would often be kind enough to interpret the conversation for him to follow along as well.
"My demon king." Woz approached Sougo one day. He had some things he wanted to tell him.
"What's up?" Sougo asked.
"Thank you for everything you've done. I never thought anyone would make an effort to help me like this." Woz replied, allowing himself to smile a little.
"What good am I as a king if my subjects are suffering because of me?"
"I do look forward to seeing whatever the future you make turns into. I'm sure it will be a pleasant surprise."
"I can't imagine doing this without you by my side, Woz."